Hillsborough Law coming ‘very soon’ as Labour conference in Liverpool nears

Solicitor general Lucy Rigby told the Commons a Hillsborough Law would include the duty of candour for public officials that campaigners wanted.

The Government has said it will bring forward the delayed “Hillsborough Law” shortly, a matter of weeks before Labour’s conference in Liverpool.

Labour MP Anneliese Midgley (Knowsley) asked when ministers would introduce the legislation, months after the Government had originally said it would be presented.

She also asked whether an obligation for public servants to tell the truth in the wake of a major incident or disaster would be included, after concerns the Bill would be watered down.

The Government confirmed the Bill will contain a legal “duty of candour”, where public servants could face jail if they are found not to have told the truth during investigations or inquiries.

Ms Midgley said:

“The families have been campaigning for a Hillsborough Law for 36 years, and their demand has always been clear. A law with the duty of candour at its heart.”

“Too many broken promises and missed deadlines. So can the solicitor general tell me when will the Government bring forward the Hillsborough Law, and will it honour the promises made to victims of state cover-ups and finally deliver justice for the 97.”

The proposed law is named after the football stadium in Sheffield, where a crush during a 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest led to the death of 97 football fans.

The Government previously introduced a Bill which was criticised by campaigners and legal experts for not having a legally binding duty of candour.

It was pulled over concerns related to who the duty of candour would apply to.

Campaigners fear another Bill could be reintroduced that would still be insufficient as it would not be shared with families beforehand.

Labour previously said the law would be introduced before the 36th anniversary in April this year.

Solicitor general Lucy Rigby said Ms Midgley had been a “resolute and steadfast” campaigner for Hillsborough families.

Credit: Peter Byrne / PA Hillsborough — Credit: Peter Byrne / PA

Ms Rigby told MPs:

“The Government, including the Prime Minister, have been working closely with the families, and I can confirm that the draft Bill will include a statutory duty of candour for public servants, with criminal sanctions for those who do not comply.

“Measures to decisively tackle the disparity between the state and bereaved families at inquests too.

“As to timing, I know everyone is working extremely hard to get this legislation right, and the Government hopes to be in a position to introduce a Bill to Parliament very soon.”

It came a day after a Westminster Hall debate was told by a former Labour shadow chancellor that the party could face a frosty reception in Liverpool when its four-day conference begins on September 28.

Independent MP John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) said: “I want to make this point very, very clear. Labour is going for its conference in three weeks time to Liverpool.

“If this legislation is not sorted by then, do not expect a welcome in Liverpool from the people there, because we’ve waited too long.”

Labour MP Ian Byrne (Liverpool West Derby) was at Hillsborough more than 35 years ago, and his father was injured in the disaster.

Replying to Mr McDonnell’s intervention, Mr Byrne agreed.

He said:

“The Prime Minister has the ball in his court. He has made a personal commitment to Liverpool, to the Hillsborough families and survivors of other state-related scandals. He is perhaps the most qualified Prime Minister in history to understand why this matters.

“But understanding is not enough. We need courage, we need leadership and we need action.”

He added:

“The time for delaying is over. The time for diluted promises is over. We must legislate, we must protect truth, and we must honour those who have died at the hands of the state, and those who have fought for justice on their behalf. Not with words, but with law.”

Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones had told the debate:

“It has taken some time to get this right. But we are committed to introducing the Hillsborough law, with parity of arms, and that statutory legal duty of candour, and we hope to bring that forward as soon as possible.

“We have worked in conjunction with families and campaigners to make sure that we’ve got that right, and we feel we are almost there.”